We’re running out of melodies. After almost seventy years of modern rock and popular music, it’s become insanely hard to come up with a song that doesn’t sound like something that’s already been released. Most of these sonic similarities are unintentional while others–let’s call them homages–are grateful shout-outs to those who have come before. In [&helli.. more

When a band breaks up or changes, there is a good chance that there are going to be differences between the new entity and the old. It’s like making food in a lot of ways, change a small ingredient, and most likely the meal will be similar, maybe not quite the same but similar. Switch [&hellip.. more

The guys behind South Park have never been shy about saying what they think. Back in 2009, Kanye West was referred to as a gay fish (remember the episode “Fishsticks?”). He then returned four years later in which he referred to himself as “a recovering gay fish.” Now Kanye–or rather, South Park’s idea of him–has [&hellip.. more

“The Secret Path,” an album by Gord Downie and accompanying illustrated book by Jeff Lemire, remains a powerful look at the life and heartbreaking death of Chanie Wenjack. A year later, photographer Joel Clements is bringing together Mike Downie, Pearl Wenjack and Strictly Hip singer Jeremy Hoyle for a night of art and music to [&hellip.. more

As of this weekend–September 23, 2017–it’s been more than 11 years and five months since Tool released their last album, 10,000 Days. It came out in the spring of 2006. Let’s put that into perspective. The last time Tool gave us a record of new material, the introduction of the iPhone was still more than [&hellip.. more

On the list of most-wanted reunions, getting the original Smashing Pumpkins back together has to rank in the Top 10. Certainly, the organizers of Coachella must be talking about it. Billy Corgan is currently stumping about, promoting his new solo album using his full name, William Patrick Corgan–a record that features guitar contributions from James [&hellip.. more

[Another assignment from the current intern-in-resident, Dorothy Lee. What are the stories behind some rock’n’roll stage names?- AC] 1. Black Francis, Pixies Born Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV. I In 1987, when the Pixies released the mini-album ‘Come on Pilgrim’, Charles took his father’s advice and adopted the stage name ‘Black Francis’ which comes from [.. more

[Reader Darren Perkins, who runs Redrum Music Studio, has a few tips for musicians looking to move out of their bedroom and into a proper recording studio. – AC] After doing several gigs singing your own songs, this might be the time for you to have your songs recorded. It will be best for you [&hellip.. more

According to this guy, the world is supposed to end today. Damn Nibiru. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t any music news for September 23. Barely a dozen people lined up in advance to get an iPhone 8 at London’s flagship Apple store. Here’s another way streaming is shaping the music industry: Million-sellers club has [&hellip.. more

Leave it to the Internet to find new ways to make Pennywise–the clown from It–even more scary. Check out what’s making the rounds today on Twitter. Follow @Pennywise_Dance for more. Well… #ITMovie pic.twitter.com/eq1oofJuq4 — Pennywise Dancing (@Pennywise_Dance) September 14, 2017 Well… #ITMovie pic.twitter.com/eq1oofJuq4 — Pennywise Dancing (@Pennywise_Dance) Sep.. more

When Wu-Tang Clan put their one-copy-only album, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, up for auction, they had no say over who the buyer was. Highest bidder wins, right? They were shocked and annoyed that the CD went to Martin Shkreli, the pharma exec who had made international headlines for all the wrong reasons linked to [&hellip.. more

When it comes to tracking songs played on the radio, the music industry’s two big players are BDS and Mediabase. Both are very powerful when it comes to gathering and parsing data–and also very expensive to use. The price is out of reach for the average indie musician. This is where World Airplay Radio Monitor comes [&hellip.. more

Yesterday, these pages had a story about some strange ultrasonic attacks on Canadian and American diplomats in Cuba that have resulted in everything from hearing and memory loss to brain damage. Reader Nicholas would like to advance the story with these observations. Take a look at this product. The above isn’t some military grade weapon [&hellip.. more

My poor iPhone 6S is struggling. The battery is so tired that it can drop from 100% down to 65% during a 45-minute walk with the dog. It’s scratched, scuffed and generally looking pretty rough. After two years of everyday use, it’s time to replace it. But with what? That I’ll go with an iPhone [&hellip.. more

This is the anatomy of a modern hit song. Pay attention because this is how we measure success in the music industry now. The numbers we have to deal with are much, much bigger. There’s a back-and-forth battle between Drake and Ed Sheeran when it comes to streaming supremacy on Spotify. Until recently, Drake’s “One [&hellip.. more

The public comment period on net neutrality might be closed but FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai doesn’t want to talk about it. Internet users, advocates and artists alike all have a lot to say about net neutrality. In fact, more than 22 million comments were filed on the changes Pai introduced earlier this year. In short, [&hellip.. more

The autumnal equinox. Time to start Christmas shopping, I guess. How long before the first commercial radio station flips to all-Christmas music? Ponder that as you go through the music news for September 22. More reviews of the iPhone 8 and Apple Watch: This could give you pause. And there are production issues with the [&hellip.. more

Gene Simmons of KISS is never short of opinions. When the Toronto Sun offered him an opportunity to write an op-ed piece, he jumped at it. Yes. I know. I am an odd choice to write an op-ed piece for the Toronto Sun. However, in the interest of cooperation between our two countries, I am [&hellip.. more

Promoting your music through the various social media platforms isn’t just a good idea but bloody essential. A YouTube video. Some samples on SoundCloud. Postings on Bandcamp and Reverb. Making sure your music is on Spotify and all the other streaming music services. Twitter posts. Facebook. And then there’s Instagram, which has rapidly become one [&hellip.. more

There’s mounting evidence that Canadian and American diplomats were attacked by some kind of sonic weapon while were stationed in Havana, resulting in everything from hearing and memory loss to mild brain damage. WTF? Those affected say the attacks usually happened at night in their homes. Only one hotel–the Hotel Capri–is part of the story. (Two [&hellip.. more